The Two UFC Baku Fights That Prove MMA Officiating Is Totally Broken Right Now

Okay, so we gotta talk about this, because seriously, how many more times are we gonna do this dance? Every single week, it feels like we're all throwing our hands up in frustration because of some officiating screw-up in MMA. A messed-up call from a ref, a judge's scorecard that makes zero sense, or even worse, a ref just straight up ignoring the Unified Rules. It leaves you absolutely dumbfounded. And UFC Baku, man, that card on June 27th? It was a masterclass in how NOT to officiate a fight.

Jim Perdios's Nightmare Start to UFC Baku

The prelims kicked off with Tahir Abdullayev taking on Jefferson Nascimento, both dudes making their UFC debuts after making names for themselves regionally. You want a fight to start with a bang, right? Nope. Referee Jim Perdios made sure this one started with a groan. The fight was already pretty boring, with a serious lack of offense from both guys. But then it got wild. Nascimento got warned for being inactive, which is fine, except Abdullayev didn't get a warning, even though Nascimento was outworking him in the first two rounds according to UFC Stats. THEN Abdullayev lands a punch *after* the second-round horn, and Perdios does NOTHING. No point deduction. It was giving me flashbacks to the Holly Holm vs. Germaine de Randamie debacle. And the cherry on top? Abdullayev drops Nascimento, starts raining down shots. Nascimento grabs onto him from the bottom, totally a position we've seen fighters escape from, and Perdios just steps in and stops the fight! Nascimento was immediately protesting, and even the UFC's own commentary team couldn't defend that stoppage. What in the world was that?

Herb Dean's Continued Officiating Chaos

If a terrible p

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relim fight wasn't enough, the co-main event, Shara "Bullet" Magomedov vs. Michel Pereira, had its own ref controversy, and guess who was the man in the middle? Herb Dean. Look, Dean's a longtime name in the game, but it's clear his best days are long gone. He's almost constantly involved in controversial officiating now, with even Alex Pereira accusing him of terrible calls in his UFC Freedom 250 bout. So, first round, Pereira drops Magomedov. Pereira's on top, trying to land shots, and Magomedov is literally pulling Pereira's hair, not just once, but multiple times. What does Dean do? A "hard warning." That's it! No disqualification, no TKO, no point deduction. Nothing. You'd think after a "hard warning" a point deduction would be next, right? Nah. Third round, after a super boring second frame, Magomedov lands an eye poke on Pereira. And Dean? He does absolutely NOTHING. No point deduction again! This stuff played a pivotal role in the outcome. Magomedov won on the judges' scorecards, but if Dean had actually done his job, Magomedov would've been lucky to get a draw, or Pereira would have just won. Andrew Richardson from MMA Mania hit it on the head in his post-event editorial, saying these officiating issues are just way too common now. We hear the outcry for more scrutiny, more accountability, every single time, and then nothing ever changes. Yeah, yeah, I get it, these refs and judges fall under state athletic commissions with government oversight. But how much more are we gonna have to watch before somebody, *anybody*, steps in and shakes things up for these people who literally dictate fight outcomes? How much can education or fan outcry actually do if there are no real consequences? It's beyond time for consequences, but honestly, I'm not gonna hold my breath waiting for them.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.